Frequently asked questions

No. There is nothing to download and no account to create. With every question the storyteller receives a WhatsApp message or email with a single link, taps it and starts talking. No password, no settings, no fuss. If you can answer the phone, you can take part.

We send the storyteller one carefully chosen question at a time, at the pace you choose. Many families settle on one question a week. Think of questions like 'How did you meet grandad?' or 'What is your earliest memory?'. They answer whenever it suits them, simply by talking. Every answer is recorded and written out automatically as a chapter. There is no wrong way: an answer of 30 seconds is just as welcome as a recording of 30 minutes.

Almost anything with an internet connection: a smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer. All you need is a browser. The link works in Safari, Chrome and any other modern browser, so there is nothing to install.

Yes. You can pick from well over a hundred ready-made questions, set the order or add your own. You decide how many questions to line up, and you can add new ones or change the order at any time.

Questions and books are in English by default. The storyteller can answer in any language or dialect, and the recording always stays in their own voice. Dutch, English, German and French are transcribed automatically; with another language or a strong dialect the transcription may be less accurate. Do get in touch if you would like a book in another language.

A My Life Tales hardcover runs to up to 400 pages. Need more? That is possible too: get in touch and we will work out the options together. The exact number depends on how many stories, photos and chapters have been collected. You also decide which stories and pages go into the printed book.

A sturdy 20 x 25 cm hardcover, professionally designed. The text is printed in black and the photos in colour, and every story comes with a QR code you can scan with your phone.

Yes. Beside every chapter is a QR code that takes you to the original voice recording. We write out the text and polish it lightly so it reads well, but the audio behind the code is the storyteller's real, unedited voice, kept for good.

Of course. For each chapter you can upload treasured photos, give them captions and decide where they go. That makes the book not just a record of stories but also a photo album that shows a whole life.

You decide when. You can collect a year of answers or go through the questions faster, and you can order at any time. The book then contains every chapter recorded up to that point.

That is what our questions are for. Every question is designed to unlock a specific memory, so the storyteller never faces a blank screen. They don't need to prepare anything, just tell it as they remember it.

The recordings can't be found publicly anywhere: they can only be reached through the private family page and through personal, unguessable links such as the QR codes in the book. You decide who you invite and who gets the book.

Your stories are yours. We keep recordings and transcripts on secure servers, never sell data and never use anything for advertising. You can delete a recording or chapter at any time.

Yes, at no extra cost. By default a book has one storyteller; you can add more storytellers for free in your profile. Family can read along and react on the private family page. That way it really becomes a shared family story.

Always. Not happy with an answer? Just record it again or add to it later. Nothing is final until you have the book printed, so there is plenty of room to refine the stories in your own time.

One-off £49. That covers everything: a year of questions for the storyteller, recording and transcribing the stories, the private family page and the printed hardcover of up to 400 pages, including delivery to one address in the UK. Extra copies or an e-book can be ordered separately.

As soon as you finalize and approve the book, it goes to print. We do it as fast as possible: at the latest three weeks later the hardcover lands on your doormat at home.

You can try My Life Tales risk-free for 30 days: if you are not satisfied, you get your money back within 30 days of purchase. If the printed book is damaged or misprinted, send us a few photos within 14 days of receipt and we will reprint it for free.

Very much so. You can give a My Life Tales to your parents, grandparents or anyone else who is dear to you. Setting it up takes a few minutes. After that you decide when the invitation goes to the storyteller, for example on their birthday, and from then on the questions come by themselves. You can also include a personal message.

No. You pay once: there are no recurring costs and nothing to cancel. The price includes a year of questions, transcription of the stories and the printed book. If you want to keep telling after that year, you can renew. Your stories stay stored and the QR codes in the book keep working forever.

Delivery within the UK is free. We send the book to your home, neatly packed. Delivery outside the UK may cost extra, so please get in touch with us first.